For climbing such poles linemen normally wear lineman's climbers in conjunction with a lineman's body belt and safety strap. The lineman's climbers have gaffs which penetrate the pole to prevent the feet from slipping and to provide purchase for climbing. The safety strap, which is attached to the body belt, is used for climbing as well as supporting the lineman in his working position on the pole. However, accidents do sometimes occur as a result of the gaffs becoming temporarily disengaged from the poles, and safety devices have been proposed for supporting the weight of a climber in the event that his feet should slip so as to prevent such accidents. The practical usefulness of such safety devices ultimately depends upon the willingness of linemen to use them, which in turn depends upon whether such devices can conveniently be used in the field. In this connection a lineman will normally be reluctant to use a device which appears to be an unnecessary encumbrance.
It is a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved pole climber's safety device which is simple and convenient to use while providing the required degree of safety. The device will also be more than currently used safety straps when used on an iced pole.